Blog

November 16, 2018: A weekly scan of new legislation and regulations important to the Ontario health sector, as well as articles of interest.

Bills

Bill 55 – Safeguarding our Information Act, 2018

This Bill amends the Consumer Protection Act, 2002 to provide that if a government institution makes a request to a lender to obtain consumer personal information that the lender has entered into a credit agreement with, the lender may only disclose the PI if the consumer consents to such disclosure.

Introduced by Stephen Crawford (Oakville), Chair of Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs, Government, the Bill was carried on First Reading on Nov 14, 2018.

Regulations

O.REG. 468/18 – Cannabis License Act, 2018

The Ontario government has released the new regulation on the licensing and operation of private cannabis stores, which will begin on April 1, 2018 under the oversight of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (“ACGO”). O.REG 468/18 is in force as of November 14, 2018.

The regulation set out:

Zero-tolerance approach: Retailers are not permitted to allow anyone under age of 19 to enter their stores

Illegal cannabis retailers who were operating after Oct 17, 2018 are not eligible for Ontario cannabis sales license

Circumstances as to when applicants will be denied a license

Prohibition on the issuance of a license of any individual or organization who has an association with organized crime

Individual or entities applying for an operator license must demonstrate tax compliance status

Private recreational cannabis retail storefronts to be stand-alone stores only

Individuals with store authorization, cannabis retail managers, and all retail employees will be required to complete the approved training to ensure individuals who work in the cannabis market is trained for responsible sales

The Ontario Government news release states:

ACGO will begin accepting applications on Dec 17, 2018 and private retailing of cannabis will begin on April 1, 2019